Blauert on Outdoors: Make your reservations early

It’s time for our fifth annual list of opening dates and deadlines for reservations and permits for some of the most popular (and hardest to reserve) outdoor destinations in Central California.

Yosemite’s campgrounds are managed by the National Park Service, unlike all the other accommodations in the park. Seven of the largest accept reservations through the National Recreation Reservation System (visit recreation.gov or call 877-444-6777). You can book up to five months in advance with a new month of reservations opening up on the 15th at 7 a.m. What this means is that on Dec. 15 and Jan. 15, campers should be on the website and ready to go before 7 a.m. The website is recommended because the phone system can be overloaded and online users may book all the sites while phone users are waiting for an operator.

For the best luck, have multiple dates and campgrounds listed in advance. The NRRS also handles campground reservations for all other national forests and parks (including cabins and fire lookouts), with reservations available six months in advance.

Yosemite’s hotels, motels, cabins, tent cabins, High Sierra Camps, and housekeeping cabins are operated by the park’s concessionaire, DNC Parks and Resorts. The High Sierra Camps are by far the most competitive, and applications are chosen via a lottery system. Lottery applications for 2016 will be accepted from Sept. 1-Nov. 1, 2015.

Reservations for all other accommodations and tickets for the Ahwahnee Hotel’s Bracebridge Dinner are available one year and one day in advance beginning at 7 a.m. (visit yosemitepark.com or call 801-559-4884).

For next Christmas, mark your calendar to call this December. As with the NRRS, Internet users have an advantage because they don’t have to wait to speak with an operator.

Sequoia National Park operates its own high-elevation back-country camp at Bearpaw Meadow along the popular High Sierra Trail. Reservations open Jan. 2 at 7 a.m. (visitsequoia.com/bearpaw.aspx or call 866-807-3598).

Finding lodging in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks is less challenging than in Yosemite, though your safest bet is to make the reservation as early as possible. Like Yosemite, lodging can be reserved 366 days in advance. Go to visitsequoia.com or call (866-807-3598).

Permits to hike to the top of Half Dome will be issued in the same way they were last year. That means the majority of permits should be distributed through a lottery system with applications accepted March 1. About 50 additional permits will be offered for each day the cables are up. There is an application fee ($4.50 via Internet/$6.50 via phone), plus a fee of $8 per hiker if your permit is granted. For more information, visit nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/hdpermits.htm. Lottery applications can be submitted through recreation.gov or by calling (877) 444-6777.

The popular springtime “Path of the Padres” hike along Los Banos Creek is accessible with ranger-led groups on Saturdays and Sundays from late February through late April. The abundant spring wildflowers are a major attraction. For reservations, call 209-826-1197 starting Feb. 1; adults $12, children 6-12 $7.

Permits are required to hike to the 14,505-foot summit of Mount Whitney, the tallest peak in the United States that isn’t located in Alaska. Applications are placed into a lottery because the trail is so popular. Even determined hikers who attempt the 22-mile challenge in a single day must have a permit. Inyo National Forest (fs.usda.gov/inyo or 760-873-2400) accepts applications starting Feb. 1.

Wilderness permits are required for all overnight trips into most wilderness areas. For national forest areas in the Sierra Nevada, and especially for the national parks, advance reservations are strongly recommended. Yosemite permits can be reserved up to 24 weeks in advance by phone, fax, or mail (visit nps.gov/yose, call 209-372-0740 or fax 209-372-0739). The reservation fee is $5, plus $5 for each person in the group. May 1-18 will become available on Dec. 1, with the remaining summer dates becoming available one day at a time. Reservations for Sequoia and Kings Canyon permits are accepted starting March 1. A $15 fee is charged (visit nps.gov/seki or call 559-565-3341). For national forest trail heads, requesting a permit in March or April should guarantee a reservation in areas subject to daily quotas. Check with each forest’s headquarters for details.

For overnight trips in non-wilderness areas within national forests, such as the popular Hite’s Cove trip on the South Fork of the Merced River, no permit is required unless you plan on having a campfire. An annual California Campfire Permit, valid in all National Forest and BLM areas, can be obtained from any ranger station. Permits for 2015 can be obtained online at preventwildfireca.org/Campfire-Permit/ starting Jan. 1. Campfires may be prohibited in specific areas or in times of fire danger, so make sure you check restrictions before your trip. The permit is also required for car camping on public lands outside of established campgrounds.

California State Park campground reservations are available at reserveamerica.com or by calling 800-444-7275. Reservations can be made as early as seven months in advance. Reservations are opened in month-long blocks on the first of each month. Currently, they can be made through May 31. The next block (through June 31) will open Dec. 1 at 8 a.m. Reservations for group walks to see the elephant seals at Ano Nuevo State Park became available in October and can also be reserved using the same phone number and website.

This story was originally published November 11, 2014 at 9:00 PM with the headline "Blauert on Outdoors: Make your reservations early."